Machines, such as fork lifts, wheel loaders, and backhoes, are frequently used in work environments to collect and transport loads. When operating these machines, it is often desirable to utilize auxiliary work implements or equipment with the machine, such as buckets, forks, and grapples, each of which assists the machine in performing work functions. When a machine uses multiple work implements, changing one implement out for another can be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process.
For example, in a forestry mill yard, a fork is often attached to a machine to collect and transport poles around the mill yard. The fork is able to move under the poles and support the weight of the poles when moving the poles in the mill yard. It can also be desirable to attach a bucket to the machine to clean up wood chips and other debris created during the milling process. It is inefficient and labor intensive for the mill yard to remove the fork and attach a bucket when collecting wood chips and debris is desired. After the wood chips and debris are collected, the bucket needs to be detached from the machine and the fork reattached, creating more inefficiency. The mill yard would save time and labor if the fork would not have to be removed from the machine every time the mill yard needed to use the bucket and then reattached after there was no longer a need for the bucket.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,369 to Bright discloses a system for attaching a bucket to a fork and transporting it. In this design, the bucket is not used when attached to the fork. The bucket is only attached to the fork so it can be transported between two places. An operator is unable to actually use the bucket when it is attached to the fork. Ultimately, to use the bucket, the operator still needs to disconnect the fork from the machine and connect the bucket. The fork and bucket cannot both be attached to the machine.
The apparatus of the present disclosure alleviates one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art.